Tchaikovsky
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The Nutcracker season upon us....
A ‘Nutcracker’ Marathon, Coast to Coast - NYTimes.com
The phenomenon of the great popularity in the USA of this the most popular of all ballets....according to the writer of the article....it can be viewed as a parable of America welcoming strangers....."When the "Nutcracker" heroine arrives in the paradiselike land of sweets, she is at once made welcome. The Sugar Plum Fairy presides with her wand in ways not unlike the Statue of Liberty with her torch in New York Harbor. You have traveled far; here, in this land of milk and honey, find rest and delight. Here people of different races are equal; here you may make a new start."
"The land of sweets is all about diversity: another reason Nutcracker can seem so American. In this peaceable land Spaniards, Arabs, Chinese and Russians are all equal residents." And then there are the so many different versions...
"For many Americans "The Nutcracker" is their first experience of art"....almost half the productions of the Nutcrackers shown each year in the world occur in America...
"Many adults are as transported by the Nutcracker myth as any tot"...
Since 1954 Ballanchine's production of the Nutcracker has been a staple of the New York City Ballet, played throughout the month of December....as for me I have seen that production live from 1958 to 1987 a total of ten times...
And so for whatever the reason the Nutcracker continues to entertain audiences both here and abroad....
Albert Gasparo
Mark Morris Cracks Open ‘The Hard Nut’ - NYTimes.com
'The Hard Nut" is back in New York at the Brooklyn Academy of Music....This updated version of The Nutcracker which takes place in the hippies' 1960's era is a delight which I strongly recommend for those of you that havent seen it yet....
'The Hard Nut" is actually based on the story Drosselmeyer tells Marie the day after she witnesses the battle between the mice and the toys....the story which is not told in the ballet...that of between Princess Pirlipat and the Queen of the mice....the story ends when the Nutcracker who is Drosslemeyer's nephew put under a spell comes back to take Marie to the Doll Kingdom where she is crowned queen...etc...
There is no mention of the land of the sweets in Hoffman's story...
The Nutcracker and the Mouse King - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
If you scroll down till you get to the part of the story of Princess Pirlipat and the Queen of the Mice you will see what the ballet "The Hard Nut" is based upon....especially the second act...which is truer to the Hoffman story than the scenario on which the ballet The Nutcracker derives from....
Now I dont think it will ever replace the traditional rendering but it is an interesting diversion...
Albert Gasparo
Ovation | Design, Photography, Music, Travel, Art | On TV & Online - Ovation
Ovation TV, the only channel devoted to the arts in our area is having its Nutcracker marathon again this year...from Dec 6 to Dec 26 they will be showing one of five different Nutcrackers three times every week night till Dec 26...on Christmas day all five Nutcrackers will be shown...so if you live in the states the Ovation tv channel is on cable, its on channel 83 in my area....you may indulge yourself with this yearly event...so happy listening....
Seasons Greetings to all,
Albert Gasparo
America Makes ‘The Nutcracker’ Its Own - NYTimes.com
The Nutcracker's amazing diversity of expression and Americanization insures its continued popularity in the states during the Christmas season....the manifold ballet companies around the country do an individual take on it....adding bits of Americana ....three have relocated to this country.....some feature American heroes...."one... is set beside a dream version of the Potomac - with female cherry blossoms dancing the Waltz of the Flowers"..... (in one version which) " runs from ballet to hip hop the cast is the most racially varied I've yet seen in a Nutcracker.....and the emphasis is firmly multicultural."
And so it goes....The Nutcracker constantly adapting itself to our own individuality.....but the essential undying sparkle of the music is what keeps it alive...
Happy Holidays,
Albert Gasparo
A Melting Pot of ‘Nutcrackers’ - Slide Show - NYTimes.com
A slide show on The Nutcracker and multiculturalism....
Albert Gasparo
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